GSA Act of 2012

Government Spending Accountability Act of 2012 or the GSA Act of 2012 - Requires each federal agency to post on its public website detailed information on employee presentations at conferences, including: (1) the prepared text of any verbal presentation; and (2) any visual, digital, video, or audio materials presented, including photographs, slides, and audio-visual recordings.

Limits to $500,000 the amount that any agency may spend to support a single conference. Allows an agency head to waive such limitation for a specific conference after making a determination that a higher expenditure is justified as the most cost-effective option to achieve a compelling purpose.

Prohibits an agency from paying the travel expenses for more than 50 employees stationed in the United States to attend any international conference, unless the Secretary of State determines that attendance of such employees is in the national interest.

Requires each agency to post on its public website quarterly reports on each conference for which the agency paid travel expenses during the preceding three months.

Limits agency travel expenses for FY2013-FY2017 to 70% of the aggregate amount of such expenses for FY2010. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish guidelines for determining what expenses constitute travel expenses for purposes of the ceiling imposed on such expenses. Exempts from such limitation military travel expenses.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4631 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4631

 To require quarterly reports on agency conferences and meetings, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2012

  Mr. Walsh of Illinois (for himself, Mr. Long, Mr. Michaud, and Mr. 
    Paul) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require quarterly reports on agency conferences and meetings, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Government Spending Accountability 
Act of 2012'' or the ``GSA Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. AGENCY REPORTS ON CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS.

    (a) Quarterly Reports Required.--Not less frequently than 
quarterly, the head of each agency shall submit a detailed, itemized 
report to the relevant committee of Congress on any conference or 
meeting that occurs at a location for which the agency must pay a fee 
or at a location not owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the 
Federal Government and--
            (1) that is attended by 50 or more employees; or
            (2) for which the total cost is $100,000 or more.
    (b) Exclusions.--Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to any 
conference or meeting that the head of an agency determines--
            (1) that reporting on such conference or meeting would not 
        be in the interest of national security; or
            (2) is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or 
        safety or other emergency.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
            (2) Employee.--The term ``employee'' has the meaning given 
        that term in section 2105 of title 5, United States Code.
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